


a moment of pure clarity

by plain_and_simple_tailor (ectogeo)



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babysitting, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Julian Bashir/Elim Garak (background), Keiko O'Brien/Miles O'Brien (background), Kid Fic, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28397292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ectogeo/pseuds/plain_and_simple_tailor
Summary: Kira has a moment of clarity while babysitting the O’Brien kids with her girlfriend Jadzia
Relationships: Jadzia Dax/Kira Nerys
Comments: 13
Kudos: 30
Collections: To Boldly Gift: Fics 2020





	a moment of pure clarity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jazzjo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jazzjo/gifts).



> Written for jazzjo for the 2020 To Boldly Gift fic exchange! ^_^

The door slid open, and Keiko welcomed them in. “Molly, Auntie Nerys is here!—Thank you so much, both of you!” Keiko said, turning back to Kira and Jadzia.

“No problem!” Kira said, smiling at Keiko and squeezing Jadzia’s hand.

“Well, Nerys, you know the drill,” Keiko said.

“Bedtime at 1900, and no moba jam tarts until after dinner,” Kira grinned. She dropped Jadzia’s hand as Keiko passed Kirayoshi to her. She supported him under his arms and lifted him up to nuzzle their noses together, and he giggled and kicked his legs happily.

“Yoshi has been very grabby lately,” Keiko cautioned, “so it might be a good idea to keep him away from your earring...”

The warning came not a moment too soon. As Yoshi reached out for the tempting shiny dangly chain, Kira held him a little further away so he couldn’t quite reach and warmly chided him. “Ah ah ah,.. that’s not a toy...”

Kira changed how she was holding him so that he was cradled against her chest.

Molly suddenly rocketed into the room, a meteor of excitement.

“Auntie Nerys!!” Molly shrieked, hugging Kira’s knees.

“Hi, Molly.”

Molly turned to Dax and asked, “Ms. Jadzia, are you my auntie now too?”

Kira smiled at her new girlfriend and nodded encouragingly.

“Yes, of course, I’ll be your auntie.” Molly lit up, and went to hug her too. Jadzia unclasped her hands from behind her back and patted Molly’s head.

“Well, Miles is waiting for me at the airlock, so I’m heading out. We’ll be back pretty late at night, the shuttle ride from Bajor is quite long this time of year. But please feel free to comm us anytime if you have questions, or if anything goes wrong...”

“We will. But I’m sure everything will be fine. Have fun on your date!” Jadzia said with a wink.

Keiko smiled and waved one last goodbye to her children before leaving.

Kira made herself comfortable on the couch, and started making silly faces at Yoshi.

Molly took Jadzia’s hand and skipped over to the couch too. She clambered up on it, and let her feet dangle over the edge. They reached almost halfway to the ground.

“So what do you want to do first, Molly?” Jadzia asked.

“Hmmm, wellllll, uncle Garak always tells me enigma tales for me to solve when him and uncle Julian babysit. Do you know any enigma tales?” Molly asked excitedly.

Jadzia laughed at the thought of Garak recounting the plots of Cardassian crime novels to Molly. She made a mental note to ask Julian what he thought about this practice. Surely he had to have a cute or funny story. “No, I’m so sorry but I don’t know any.”

“That’s okay! I will just have to solve all kinds of mysteries about _you_ instead. Were you born on a planet or in space, like me and my little brother?”

“On a planet. I’m from Trill.”

“That’s so cool! I’m from space though!! I like that better, I think... Space isn’t just one place, it’s kind of everywhere!” Molly waved her arms all around her.

“That’s very observant of you,” Jadzia said encouragingly.

“Thanks!! Jadzia, how old are you?”

“Hmmm, well, my symbiont, Dax, is 356 years old.”

“Oh wow!!! That’s so OOOOOLD!”

“The rest of me is only 33, though.”

“What? How come you are two different ages? Do you get to have two birthday parties every year?”

“I never thought about that. But you’re absolutely right, I _should_ get two birthday parties,” Jadzia laughed.

“Yay!”

Kira bounced Yoshi on her knee and watched fondly as Molly continued questioning Jadzia. She enjoyed the way Jadzia patiently answered.

Jadzia was not only loving being the center of attention but also getting to be the one to teach Molly about what it meant to be a joined Trill. She delighted in feeding the flames of Molly’s curiosity and wonder.

Kira had been subjected to Molly’s insatiable curiosity many times during the months when she’d lived with the O’Briens. She remembered Molly asking what her job was on the station, and what are the ridges on her nose for, and why isn’t Bajor in the Federation yet since Bajor and the Federation are kind of already friends, and what was it like going through the wormhole, and does she know how to feel someone’s pagh through their ears like the vedeks do to people sometimes...

The constant questions had frustrated Kira at first, each answer opening up a new line of investigation. It was just exhausting to come home to that after long days in Ops. Over time she had grown to enjoy it, even though it still always exhausted her.

But Molly and Jadzia seemed to feed off of each other’s playful excitement, and watching them talk was rejuvenating.

Kira was struck by how much she wanted _this_. Children, and a loving partner to raise them with. A family. She’d never been able to picture a future like this with any of the men she’d dated, but she could see Jadzia in that role as clearly as one could see the pebbles at the bottom of the Rakantha River.

In the mountain camps, on the run with the resistance, she’d vowed never to get lured into a false sense of security by the prospect of stability offered by family life. She’d never intended to break that vow, even in these changed circumstances, even now that the Occupation was over. But the desire for domesticity seemed to have crept into her heart anyway.

*

After putting the children to bed, Kira and Jadzia collapsed onto the couch again. Jadzia interlaced her fingers with Kira’s.

“Thanks for letting me babysit with you, Nerys. It was fun getting to hang out with Molly. And Yoshi, too, even if you did manage to keep the cute baby all to yourself the whole evening.”

“Hey, I gave birth to him, I’m entitled to be a little clingy.”

“All right, I’ll just have to cuddle with _you_ instead to make up for it.” She snuggled up to Kira. “Besides, you’re even cuter than he is.” Jadzia kissed her on the cheek.

“I resent that!” Kira huffed, but she was smiling. “First of all, Yoshi is the cutest baby in the entire quadrant, and I won't have you insult him by implying there's anyone in the known universe who is cuter. Second of all, I’m! Not! _Cute_!!”

“You’re right, you are a fierce and brave warrior.”

“Much better, thank you.” Kira turned and looked into her eyes, knowing she needed to tell her about what she'd been feeling earlier. “Jadzia...”

"Yes?"

Kira took a deep breath in through her nose and then released it slowly, steadying herself. “Babysitting the kids always reminds me of the time I spent living with the O’Briens when I was carrying Yoshi. It was really nice being part of their family. I suppose in some ways I still am... but that's not exactly what I want.

"And lately I’ve been thinking a lot about Ziyal, too... I miss her so much. I miss the rewarding challenges of taking care of her, and seeing her grow and learn every day... Jadzia, I think... I think I’d like to have my own family someday. And I think I’d like it to start with you.”

Jadzia opened her mouth to reply, but Kira cut her off. “I know this relationship is new, so it’s all right if you don’t feel the same or if you aren’t sure yet. We don’t need to decide anything now. But I wanted you to know what was on my mind. I just want you to think about it.”

This time Jadzia took a moment to consider, instead of moving to answer right away. “You’re right, I just don’t know yet, Nerys. Raising children is a lifelong commitment, and as a Trill it doesn’t even end there... But I’m definitely not ruling out the possibility yet. Let’s babysit the O’Brien kids together a few more times first—and maybe Vilix’pran’s hatchlings, I hear they are quite a handful now that they’ve sprouted," she grinned. "And I promise I’ll keep thinking about it. And let's keep talking about us, and about our future. Okay?”

“I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Notes on the canon divergence for this fic: Set sometime in s6. In my head, Jadzia broke up with Worf after _Let He Who Is Without Sin..._. After her break-up with Shakaar, Kira started dating Jadzia, and Kira never got together with Odo (I am reclaiming Kira’s “moment of pure clarity” line for the gays, okay???).
> 
> Thanks to AsgardianAngels and the_last_dillards for beta reading!


End file.
